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TV Guide Considers Cut
To Circulation Guarantees

a Wall Street Journal Staff Reporter

Updated July 21, 2005 12:01 a.m. ET

TV Guide is considering cutting the circulation guarantees it provides advertisers by at least one-third, media buyers say, a sign of how the venerable magazine is being affected by changes in TV-viewing habits.

TV Guide, owned by
Gemstar-TV Guide International Inc.,
guarantees advertisers a circulation of nine million. The reduction in the magazine's guaranteed circulation follows a steady decline in TV Guide's circulation over many years, as people use electronic program listings and newspaper listings.

At the same time, Gemstar, which is roughly 40% owned by
News Corp.
, is working on a revamp of the magazine, considering enlarging the pocket-size title into a more standard-size magazine focused on celebrity lifestyle and culture.

"We are considering a number of different concepts and options for the magazine, and we certainly have been testing a number of different options," says Christine Levesque, a spokeswoman for Gemstar-TV Guide. Still, she says, the company hasn't made any final decision.

TV Guide Considers Cut
To Circulation Guarantees

TV Guide is considering cutting the circulation guarantees it provides advertisers by at least one-third, media buyers say, a sign of how the venerable magazine is being affected by changes in TV-viewing habits.